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WHO’S WHO

CIARA AYALA (COVID Compliance Safety MARK FOLKES (Managing Director) Mark
Officer) Stages: The Great American Folkes joined Stages as Managing Director
Trailer Park Christmas Musical, Stages in 2015 during an important time of growth
Studio Sessions; Oregon Shakespeare for the company. In the role of Managing
Festival: Comedy of Errors, A Wrinkle in Director, Mark leads Stages’ administrative
Time (Stage Management Assistant); The functions with a focus on financial
Juiliiard School: By The Way Meet Vera management, fundraising, marketing and
Stark, Angels in America: Millennium strategic planning. In recent years, Stages’
Approaches, A Winter’s Tale (Stage annual operating budget has more than
Manager); The Peterborough Players: doubled from $2.1 million to $5.5 million
Arsenic and Old Lace, The Producers, today, driven by transformational growth
Constellations, The Whipping Man, in ticket sales and philanthropic support.
Steel Magnolias, OH! Coward, The 39 In January 2020, Stages celebrated the
Steps, and many more as an Assistant opening of a three-theatre new venue,
and Production Stage Manager. Theatre The Gordy, funded by a capital campaign
Under the Stars: A Chorus Line. Ciara that has raised more than $35.8 million
has become a resident Assistant Stage including one of the largest individual gifts
to support the performing arts in Houston’s
Manager at Houston Grand Opera, working history. Prior to joining Stages, Mark served
on The Flying Dutchman, La Boheme, La as Senior Director, Development for the
Florencia en el Amazonas, Don Giovanni, Houston Symphony, and has worked for
The Phoenix, El Milagro del Recuerdo, a variety of arts organizations including
and Saul. Ciara is a proud University of Canada’s National Arts Centre, the
Houston Alum and member of Actors Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the College-
Equity Association. Conservatory of Music at the University
ASHLEY GINN (Production Stage Manager) of Cincinnati, and Houston Grand
Stages: A Woman of the World, Little Shop Opera. Mark is a Certified Fund Raising
of Horrors, Who’s Holiday!, Always…Patsy Executive and holds Master of Arts (Arts
Cline, Ann, Shear Madness, The Book of Administration) and Master of Business
Maggie; HGOco: Das Barbecü, What Wings Administration degrees from the University
They Were: the Case of Emeline. of Cincinnati. He studied theatre as an
undergraduate at the University of Waterloo
and the Canadian College of Performing
Arts. In 2018, Mark was recognized as
a Houston Business Journal 40 Under
40 Honoree.